Noticias

Institutional Trajectory

Casa de la Mujer has over three decades of experience advancing women’s rights. What has been the organization’s main contribution to the prevention of and response to gender-based violence in Bolivia?

Casa de la Mujer is a non-partisan feminist organization with a clear political commitment to transforming power inequalities. Its work promotes structural social change in favor of the rights of women, Indigenous peoples, and diverse populations. The organization adopts a comprehensive approach aimed at strengthening democracy through inclusive, non-discriminatory frameworks.

It actively engages in political and social advocacy, contributing to the participatory development of public policy proposals at all levels of government—both subnational and national—while also supporting the strengthening of Indigenous autonomy processes.

Over the years, Casa de la Mujer has built strong capacity to create and sustain public debate on the protection of women’s human rights and the rights of populations in vulnerable situations. It has played a key role in advancing democratic processes, particularly in advocating gender parity in political participation at national, departmental, and municipal levels. In parallel, it promotes women’s leadership within both urban and rural communities.

Throughout its institutional trajectory, the organization has contributed to improving access to justice for survivors of gender-based violence through strategic litigation grounded in human rights, intersectional, and feminist approaches. It advocates for the enforcement of international standards, due diligence, and the prevention of re-victimization in all judicial processes. In addition, Casa de la Mujer provides comprehensive support to survivors of gender-based violence through integrated bio-psychosocial services.

Current Situation of Gender-Based Violence

From your experience on the ground, how would you describe the current situation of gender-based violence in Bolivia, and what do you see as the main challenges in addressing it?

Bolivia is currently undergoing a period of political, social, and economic change that is deepening inequalities and limiting access to justice. This context has also affected public budget allocations, leading to cuts in protection and health services. In my view, there is a growing risk of regression within the justice system in terms of previously achieved rights—not only for women, but for the broader population.

From our experience accompanying survivors, we observe that justice officials often fail to apply a gender-sensitive approach as a critical tool for restoring rights and advancing meaningful reparation.

Origin of the Partnership

How did the partnership between Casa de la Mujer and Save the Children emerge within the framework of the project “Community Empowerment for the Prevention of and Response to Gender-Based Violence,” funded by KOICA and Save the Children Korea?

Casa de la Mujer recognizes that meaningful transformation requires strategic partnerships. In this context, we aligned with Save the Children in 2024, building a collaborative approach to design a transformative initiative that engages both State institutions and civil society, and fosters shared commitments toward the eradication of gender-based violence.

Role of Casa de la Mujer

What has been Casa de la Mujer’s role within the project, and how does its experience contribute to work at the community level?

Casa de la Mujer contributes critical contextual analysis grounded in a feminist, transformative perspective, examining the power structures that perpetuate inequality and systems of oppression affecting girls, adolescents, young women, and women.

Its role includes:

Multidisciplinary support: Providing comprehensive services to survivors of violence, including legal representation, medical care, individual and group psychological support, and social assistance.

Empowerment: Promoting the empowerment of women, adolescents, and young people through participatory education grounded in gender, intersectional, and feminist approaches.

Policy and social advocacy: Engaging with public authorities and officials to improve access to protection, health, and education services, while promoting safer, violence-free municipalities. This includes supporting the participatory design and effective implementation of public policies.

Institutional coordination: Working closely with government institutions and civil society organizations to strengthen coordinated responses to violence and promote safer communities.

Key Achievements of the Project

After one year of implementation, what changes or progress stand out in the communities and institutions you are working with?

Casa de la Mujer has developed methodologies grounded in human rights, gender, and intersectional approaches to strengthen the capacities of public officials working with children, adolescents, young people, and women. These efforts contribute to more effective, timely, and survivor-centered services that avoid re-victimization.

Institutional strengthening has included the establishment of specialized service units for survivors of sexual violence. This has been accompanied by comprehensive capacity-building processes for medical, psychological, administrative, and support staff across three municipalities, improving access to justice.

At the policy level, a public policy has been successfully developed and implemented in the municipality of Montero through a participatory process involving institutions, civil society organizations, adolescents, young people, women, and local and departmental authorities. In parallel, advocacy processes continue to be strengthened in La Guardia and Santa Cruz de la Sierra to promote the development of local regulations grounded in gender equality and human rights.

Key Lessons from the Partnership

From your perspective, what lessons have emerged from the coordinated work between the health, education, and protection sectors in addressing gender-based violence?

The collaboration has strengthened interinstitutional commitment and shared responsibility, enabling joint actions aimed at contributing to the eradication of gender-based violence—particularly among adolescents, young people, and women.

We have learned that it is essential to ensure comprehensive support for survivors by leveraging the specific mandates and capacities of each sector. Effective responses depend on complementarity across services, ensuring that interventions are coordinated and centered on the rights and needs of those accessing them.

In addition, space for exchanging experiences has proven critical. These have allowed different services to share their expertise and approaches, contributing to the development of more coherent, coordinated, and survivor-centered intervention strategies tailored to the needs of everyone.

Looking Ahead

What actions do you consider a priority to continue advancing the prevention of and response to gender-based violence in Bolivia?

In a context where there is a risk of setbacks in previously achieved rights, it is essential to continue defending and upholding the existing legal framework that guarantees a life free from violence for children, adolescents, young people, and women in Bolivia.

It is also necessary to create interinstitutional spaces for analysis to better understand the dynamics of the patriarchal system that perpetuates violence, as well as the factors that reproduce and normalize it. This understanding is key to designing more effective strategies for prevention, response, and protection.

Finally, strengthening communication—at interpersonal, group, and mass levels—is critical. This includes promoting accessible and relevant information that helps people understand gender-based violence, its different forms and manifestations, its impact on the lives of adolescents, young people, and women, and the ways it can be prevent it.